Venezuela In Washington's Crosshairs

Washington fears Hugo Chavez for good reason. His "good example" threat raises concerns that other regional leaders may follow. As a result, throughout his tenure, he's been targeted and vilified - to discredit, weaken and undermine his government to destroy Bolivarian benefits millions of Venezuelans now enjoy, won't easily give up, nor should they.'

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Permanent Agression: War on the Horizon in Latin America

Latin America has suffered constant aggressions executed by Washington during the past two hundred years. Strategies and tactics of covert and overt warfare have been applied against different nations in the region, ranging from coup d’etats, assassinations, disappearances, torture, brutal dictatorships, atrocities, political persecution, economic sabotage, psychological operations, media warfare, biological warfare, subversion, counterinsurgency, paramiliary infiltration, diplomatic terrorism, blockades, electoral intervention to military invasions. Regardless of who’s in the White House – democrat or republican – when it comes to Latin America, the Empire’s policies remain the same.

In the twenty-first century, Venezuela has been one of the principle targets of these constant aggressions. Since the April 2002 coup, there has been a dangerous escalation in attacks and destabilization attempts against the Bolivarian Revolution. Although many fell beneath the seductive smile and poetic words of Barack Obama, it’s not necessary to look beyond the past year to see the intensification of Washington’s aggressions against Venezuela. The largest military expansion in history in the region – through the US occupation of Colombia – the reactivation of the Fourth Fleet of the US Navy, as well as an increased US military presence in the Caribbean, Panama and Central America throughout the past year, can be interpreted as preparation for a conflict scenario in the region.

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Chavez Writes Off Haiti's Oil Debt to Venezuela

President Hugo Chavez has announced that he will write off the undisclosed sum Haiti owes Venezuela for oil as part of a regional bloc's plans to help the impoverished Caribbean nation after the devastating Jan 12 earthquake.

'Haiti has no debt with Venezuela, just the opposite: Venezuela has a historical debt with that nation, with that people for whom we feel not pity but rather admiration, and we share their faith, their hope,' Chavez said after the extraordinary meeting of foreign ministers of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas, or ALBA.'

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USGS Claims Venezuela Sits on Earth’s Largest Oil Reserves

The Orinoco Belt, situated squarely underneath the South American nation, may hold some 513 billion barrels of crude oil, according to a new report by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).

That's twice the size of Saudi Arabia's oil reserves, placing Venezuela firmly atop the list of oil-rich nations.'

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Military Base in Curaçao: The Third Frontier of the United States

Just days earlier, Venezuela’s Vice-President Ramón Carrizalez had publicly denounced the intromission of a US military plane also originating from the air base in Curaçao during 2009. The governments of Washington and Holland denied the violation, yet Carrizalez revealed an audio recording between the Venezuelan airport control tower and the US pilot while inside Venezuelan airspace. The pilot stated clearly that he was flying a US Navy military plane stationed at the base in Curaçao. He claimed ignorance as to the violation of Venezuelan territory, stating he was “unaware” he had entered an authorized zone. But the US military plane hadn’t just merely crossed a border that some might argue is difficult to visualize, rather the pilot had flown over a strategic Venezuelan military base on La Orchila, a small island off Venezuela’s northern coast, clearly well inside Venezuelan territory. This was not an isolated incident.'

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Venezuelan F-16 Fighter Jets 'Intercept US Warplane'

Venezuela has scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to ward off a US 'military plane' amid reports of “US trespassing the country's airspace.”

President Hugo Chavez has ordered the fighters to confront a US P-3 maritime patrol aircraft that had purportedly violated Venezuela's airspace, Reuters quoted the Venezuelan president as saying on Friday.

"They are provoking us ... these are warplanes," Chavez noted, showing a picture of the plane, which he said, had taken off from US military bases on the Netherlands' Caribbean islands and from neighboring Colombia on two separate occasions.'

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Chavez Says Columbia will Attack Venezuala Using False Pretences

Colombia is preparing to attack Venezuela in an operation that will be made to look like its objective is a base of Colombian guerrillas, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said

“They say, and many people believe, there are guerrilla bases in our territory supported by the government,” Chavez said, in a speech to troops today that was shown on state television. “They are preparing the terrain to attack Venezuelan territory, simulating an encampment.”

Chavez said Colombia’s military would justify the attack with lies, making reference to a scandal in the neighboring country that came to be known as the “false positives.” Colombia fired at least 27 officers and soldiers a year ago for allegedly killing poor slum-dwellers and dressing them as guerrillas in an attempt to win benefits from the government, prosecutors alleged.'

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US Military Aggression Against Venezuela Escalating

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez revealed today on his Sunday television and radio program, Aló Presidente, that unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), also known as drones, have illegally entered Venezuela’s airspace during the past several days. “A few days ago, one of these military planes penetrated Venezuela as far as Fort Mara,” a Venezuelan military fort in the State of Zulia, bordering Colombia. The drone was seen by several Venezuelan soldiers who immediately reported the aerial violation to their superiors. President Chávez gave the order today to shoot down any drones detected in Venezuelan territory. Chávez also directly implicated Washington in this latest threat against regional stability by confirming that the drones were of US origin.'

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Colombia to Build Military Base Near Venezuelan Border

Colombia has announced that it plans to build a new military base near its border with Venezuela.

Colombian Defense Minister Gabriel Silva said on Friday that the base, which is to be located on the Guajira peninsula near the city of Nazaret, will have up to 1,000 troops.

Two air battalions will also be activated in other border areas, he stated.'

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Chavez Prepares Venezuela for 'US-Provoked War'

President Hugo Chavez says Venezuela must be ready to defend itself against what he called the US and Colombia's gearing up for initiating a military conflict.

Chavez who accused Washington and Bogota of planning to stage war against his country announced that thousands of Russian missiles and rocket launchers were being received by Venezuela as the country is preparing for a possible military conflict.'

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Chavez is many things, but he's not an idiot.

The positioning of American forces in Columbia does not bode well for peace in the region.

And of course, as reported here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oil_reserves_in_Venezuela

"There were 80 billion barrels (13×10^9 m3) of conventional oil reserves in Venezuela as of 2007, the largest oil reserves of any country in South America."

Let's see if I have the formula correctly. Foreign oil reserves, plus a government the US doesn't particularly like, equals... vigorous US attempts at destabilization of that government, including military confrontation, if the US thinks it can get away with it.

Venezuela Issues Arrest Warrants For 30 Bankers

A court in Venezuela has issued arrest warrants for 30 bank executives over their alleged mismanagement of the country's financial affairs.

The court order comes days after the government of President Hugo Chavez nationalized seven banks due to their 'unregulated' transactions.

“A group of irresponsible bankers, of citizens crazed by ambition, started to use the public's money, private and public money in their banks, to commit crimes,” Chavez said on Monday before the arrest orders were issued.

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Venezuela Blows Up Border Bridges with Colombia

Venezuela has blown up two pedestrian bridges on its border with Colombia in the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the Andean neighbours.

Soldiers destroyed the walkways because they were being used by illegal militia and drug traffickers, said Eusebio Aguero, an army general based in the border state of Táchira.

"Uniformed men, apparently from the Venezuelan army, arrived in trucks on the Venezuelan side at two pedestrian bridges that link communities on both sides and then proceeded to dynamite them," Silva said.'

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There again they may have blown them up as they feared that US Troops could have used them to cross into Venezuala to destabalise the government which would probably be right on the button!

Castro: US Aims to Overthrow Chavez's Government

Fidel Castro has accused the US of seeking to overthrow Venezuela's government and to establish power through its future military bases in Colombia.

The former Cuban leader's attack on the White House came on the eve of a summit of South American presidents that could be overshadowed by a growing row over a deal between Washington and Bogota to give the American military access to seven Colombian bases.

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Eva Golinger: US to attack Venezuela